Peeta's Perspective of The Hunger Games
by Sunlit Dawn
Summary: Starts at the reaping. I wanted to write from his POV, and I might update one from Gale's too. Please review!  Rated T because, HELLO, its the Hunger Games, and some language


_Peeta's POV of the Hunger Games_

_Note: All characters and plot belong to Suzanne Collins. I OWN NOTHING._

_Also: I hate Peeta (sorry to all the Peeta fans) but I wanted to write part of The Hunger Games from his POV. Thanks for reading! Oh, and I apologize if I used grammar mistakes- it drives me crazy when people do, and I did my best not to but no promises!_

_ Prologue_

Madge's eyes searched mine, and they held my gaze. "You're not going to get picked, Peeta," she said with a hint of annoyance. "You know that. And I won't either. So you have nothing to worry about."

"It's the Hunger Games," I reminded her, "Anything can happen. I mean _anything_. Hell, we could both get picked."  
>"Stop thinking about it. I mean it. It's not going to happen. We both know the Seam kids will get picked, and we'll be forced to watch them die."<p>

"It's so cruel…"

"It is- but there's nothing that can be done."

I turned to her, and my eyes peered into her beautiful ones. I've liked her for as long as I can remember- being the Mayor's daughter, this seemed almost meant to be, because we both were born into the more lucky families in our district. "Madge?" I asked, trying to make my voice as casual as possible.

"Yeah?"

I tried to find my nerve, and literally forced myself to speak what I had wanted to ask her for so long. "Have- have you ever thought about me and you?"

"What do you mean?" Her voice was hesitant.

"You know what I mean," I said softly.

She sighed delicately. "Maybe," she whispered.

My heart beat sped up instantly. "How often?"

"Whenever I think of you…" She said and her cheeks flushed a bright shade of pink. I had never seen her blush before, and watching it happen made my stomach feel weird, but in a good way.

"Me… me too. That's why I'm so worried…" My voice got stuck in my throat.

"Come here, Peeta." Her voice was seductive.

I took a step forward and wrapped my arms gently around her delicate waste. I tilted her face up to meet mine and I found myself staring into her eyes. "You're so beautiful," I whispered.

"Nothing's going to happen." I forced myself to believe her. And at that second, my lips brushed against hers gently, and she reacted my pulling me closer to her. I couldn't believe I was doing this, couldn't believe this was really real, that she was finally in my arms. My hands moved slowly to her hips, and for the first day in my life, I realized that everything was going to be okay…

_The reaping_

I walked into the chained-off areas at the reaping. Sick, disgusting, unfair, and injustice are words that very well describe what is about to occur, and what has happened for seventy-four years. Just the thought of Panem literally disgusted me- who would even think of this? _President Snow, the Capitol, people who enjoy watching people's lives becomes destroyed…_ I thought as my eyes squint at an obnoxiously fake, cheery voice. Effie Trinket's fake smile lifted up her face as she walked up to the podium, her hands gripping the microphone with pure happiness. I completely drowned out her rant about Panem, and all too soon she screamed "Ladies first!" in her high-pitched annoying Capitol accent. She pranced over to the bowl which contained thousands of names of who could become nothing more than a corpse in the torturous weeks to come.

_I'm not going to be picked; I'm going to be picked,_ I feebly attempted to convince myself as I drowned out her voice. The female tribute didn't matter; the only girl I ever liked had little chance of being picked, as she convinced me earlier that day. It was simple as this- I was born among the few semi-rich people in my district (but even though I was considered "rich", I often went without things I needed), and the "rich" people had an extremely low chance compared to those who resided in the Seam. While I pitied myself, I pitied those in the Seam even more so. I thought of the tear-streaked faces, the filthy clothes, the starving children in the street and thought, _Hell, at least my life isn't _that_ bad._

That was when a name suddenly ran through my mind. _Katniss Everdeen._ The name broke through my sense of reality- why was I suddenly thinking of her? My eyes flickered open as I looked upon the stage. And there she stood. A poor girl from the Seam who I often don't give a second thought stood on the stage, her expression unreadable. I knew few things of the girl; I've only talked to her once, when I felt extremely sorry for her, and that was years ago. I doubted she even remembered, but if I really saved her life it would be something she could never forget. Pushing the thought from my mind, I watched as her face twisted from courage to rage. I doubted this was her intent. While she stood there, I suddenly realized that the weeks to come would be miserable for me- I hated to watch tributes die, but I especially didn't want to have to watch her death. I didn't even know why this was- she portrayed such a look of strength but also innocence, so perhaps this was the case.

There was no way she was going to make it; and I don't mean that because of her lack of skill, but I mean that due to other tribute's practice. She was a hunter, a fighter; this much I knew because she was the reason her family survived after her father's death. I never knew exactly what happened, but her family became incapable of sustaining themselves. They had no money for food, so she decided to break the law of Panem as well as District 12 by hunting. She and her friend, possibly her boyfriend, always sold food to the Peacekeepers and my parents, who were bakers. Suddenly I realized how much I wanted her to make it and great confusion followed. I had never found a Seam girl attractive before that moment, but this wasn't the only reason I wanted her to survive. Wondering how Madge would feel if I thought this, I pushed everything about her from my mind. I would never fall for Katniss, and she would be dead in a few weeks. At this, my heart felt almost excruciating pains.

"Peeta Mellark," Effie screamed in her high-pitched accent. My head snapped up as a jolt of pure fear shot through my veins…


End file.
